A/N: I randomly came up with a plot for a descently long story the other
day and, well, here's the first chapter! I hope you enjoy it, and I'll love
you forever if you drop a review in the review bow on your way out!
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The last day of high school is always a big deal, to put it lightly. For some it's a relief- a chance to get out and see new sights, do new things. For some it's an opportunity, time to really start your education at a fresh, new school. For many, it's one of the saddest days of your life. For Lizzie Jacklyn, it was all three.
"I'm gonna miss you guys so much," Lizzie cried, in the middle of a tight group hug involving many of her closest friends. It was graduation night, and the majority of the grade was in disarray. Stepping away, Lizzie looked at each of her best friends in turn. There was Molly, the realist, and Nichole, the optimist. Next to Nichole stood the tall girl, Emily, the one who kept the group in order. Down the line 3 more girls stood Kate, the short little comedian. Seeing her with tear streaks down her face was more than most people could handle.
Kate, Lizzie's best friend on earth, besides maybe Jon, was going to the same college as Lizzie. The girls were thrilled about this, of course, but the fact that everyone else in the group was spreading across the country pulled down their spirits slightly.
"Lizzie," Emily said, eyes shiny with tears, "What are we going to do?"
Seeing Emily at loss of a plan was not something you saw everyday. Seeing
such a thing made it difficult not to realize ,"Hey, this is serious.
Things are over."
"Eat." Lizzie said, resorting to humor as she so often did, "Breath, walk,
maybe even talk every now and then." When she got no reaction, she
added, "I promise guys, I'll write. We'll all keep in touch. forever.
How can we not?"
The girls simply looked at her, afraid to talk incase it made them cry.
Seeing all of her friends faces so forlorn made Lizzie want to cry
herself, but she knew she couldn't. Not in front of all these people.
Unable to say anything else, Lizzie wiped her eyes and wheeled around towards her guy friends, who were trying to act cool on the other side of the room. Walking up to Jon, her best friend since they were in 2nd grade and 3 year boyfriend, She stood on tiptoe and whispered into his ear, "Stop by tonight. I need to say goodbye."
"C'mon, Missy," He said, referring to her nickname specially used by him only, "stick around" Lizzie shook her head, kissed each of the other boys on the cheek, and walked out of the gym, not turning back.
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Lizzie was found curled up in bed in her pajamas 3 hours later, makeup washed off and brown hair hanging loose. She was thinking about each of her friends in turn, especially Jon. Graduation had always seemed so far away, and it was nearly impossible to believe that everything was over. They had both agreed it was pointless to continue they're relationship after graduation, but that didn't make things easier. Jon was off to go to an acting college in California, while Lizzie was off to study Law in Massachusetts. The two schools were so far away, and the career paths they had chosen were both too packed to keep up with a long distance relationship.
When Jon and Lizzie had met in 2nd grade, they were inseparable. It never seemed out of the ordinary to them to be best friends with a member of the opposite sex- they didn't know any different. No romantic interest in each other had formed for many years, even though they knew, if not subconsciously, that they had always loved each other.
In sixth grade Lizzie had started crushing on Jon. big time. It wasn't until tenth grade, though, that she decided to actually do something about it. The two had been just about the most perfect couple you could get since then. Everyone knew they were meant for each other- a strong friendship behind they're romance, enough difference in personality to keep things interesting (even if it did cause many arguments between the two), and families that fully supported the relationship.
Lizzie sighed, thinking about how different her life was soon going to be. If it weren't for the fact that Kate was going to Harvard with her, it seemed as though Lizzie would have had to start her life over entirely.
Once again the urge to cry swept over her, but she fought against it. A knock on the door knocked her out of her thoughts with a bang back to earth. She jumped up and ran down the hall to the front door, where she flung it open and threw her arms around Jon.
Putting his hand on the small of her back, Jon lead Lizzie down the front walk, closing the door behind him. They found they're favorite place under the peach tree and sat down. All was quiet for a few minutes, the crisp night air nipping at their skin.
"I can't believe it." Lizzie whispered, the first tear of the night rolling down her chhek and dropping into the grass.
"Missy, don't. C'mon girl, don't cry. Please." Jon pulled her into a tight embrace, running his hand up and down her arm. "You're going to Harvard, Lizzie. You've always wanted to go there! Ever since we did that unit on Law in fourth grade!"
No response.
"Elizabeth."
"Jon, don't do that. There's no need to call me Elizabeth. I'm fine."
The look on her face suggested otherwise. Trying to pull herself together, Lizzie stood up. "One last climb?" She challenged him with a teary smile, nodding to the rather tall tree they were sitting under.
Jon's eyes glittered with the excitement of completion. "You're on."
Climbing trees was a hobby most children dropped by the time they hit middle school. Not Jon and Lizzie. They found themselves to continue their races to the top all the way through high school, continuously keeping track of who won. So far Lizzie was winning by 17- something Jon planned on changing tonight. The fact that this was their last race cleared the teenager's minds, as they counted down.
"3."
"2."
"1!"
The next few minutes were a blur of leaves, wood, and laughter, as the old peach tree in the Jacklyn's front yarn was scrambled up for the last time. in many years.
"I WIN!" Lizzie screamed after a minute, ringing the bell that the two had tied to the top or the tree years ago. "Now the score is. 394 to 412!" she stated, smiling proudly down at her best friend.
After Jon pulled himself up the last pair of branches, he settled himself next to Lizzie, his arm snaking around her waist. The girl sighed and rested her head on the boys shoulder, both of them staring up at the stars.
"Won't it be cool, Lizzie, when you become a famous lawyer and I can tell all of my friends that I knew you when?"
Lizzie laughed at this, and replied, "You're the one that's going to be famous, Jon. Trust me, just wait 10 years and you'll be one of the biggest heartthrobs in America. With that voice of yours. or your acting."
Smiling down at her, Jon whispered, "We'll just have to see, won't we Missy?" With that, he bent his head and gently kissed her, Lizzie smiling against his lips."
Afterwards, they sat in silence for several minutes, simply enjoying each other's company.
"I'm going to miss you so much."
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The last day of high school is always a big deal, to put it lightly. For some it's a relief- a chance to get out and see new sights, do new things. For some it's an opportunity, time to really start your education at a fresh, new school. For many, it's one of the saddest days of your life. For Lizzie Jacklyn, it was all three.
"I'm gonna miss you guys so much," Lizzie cried, in the middle of a tight group hug involving many of her closest friends. It was graduation night, and the majority of the grade was in disarray. Stepping away, Lizzie looked at each of her best friends in turn. There was Molly, the realist, and Nichole, the optimist. Next to Nichole stood the tall girl, Emily, the one who kept the group in order. Down the line 3 more girls stood Kate, the short little comedian. Seeing her with tear streaks down her face was more than most people could handle.
Kate, Lizzie's best friend on earth, besides maybe Jon, was going to the same college as Lizzie. The girls were thrilled about this, of course, but the fact that everyone else in the group was spreading across the country pulled down their spirits slightly.
"Lizzie," Emily said, eyes shiny with tears, "What are we going to do?"
Seeing Emily at loss of a plan was not something you saw everyday. Seeing
such a thing made it difficult not to realize ,"Hey, this is serious.
Things are over."
"Eat." Lizzie said, resorting to humor as she so often did, "Breath, walk,
maybe even talk every now and then." When she got no reaction, she
added, "I promise guys, I'll write. We'll all keep in touch. forever.
How can we not?"
The girls simply looked at her, afraid to talk incase it made them cry.
Seeing all of her friends faces so forlorn made Lizzie want to cry
herself, but she knew she couldn't. Not in front of all these people.
Unable to say anything else, Lizzie wiped her eyes and wheeled around towards her guy friends, who were trying to act cool on the other side of the room. Walking up to Jon, her best friend since they were in 2nd grade and 3 year boyfriend, She stood on tiptoe and whispered into his ear, "Stop by tonight. I need to say goodbye."
"C'mon, Missy," He said, referring to her nickname specially used by him only, "stick around" Lizzie shook her head, kissed each of the other boys on the cheek, and walked out of the gym, not turning back.
/%/%/%/
Lizzie was found curled up in bed in her pajamas 3 hours later, makeup washed off and brown hair hanging loose. She was thinking about each of her friends in turn, especially Jon. Graduation had always seemed so far away, and it was nearly impossible to believe that everything was over. They had both agreed it was pointless to continue they're relationship after graduation, but that didn't make things easier. Jon was off to go to an acting college in California, while Lizzie was off to study Law in Massachusetts. The two schools were so far away, and the career paths they had chosen were both too packed to keep up with a long distance relationship.
When Jon and Lizzie had met in 2nd grade, they were inseparable. It never seemed out of the ordinary to them to be best friends with a member of the opposite sex- they didn't know any different. No romantic interest in each other had formed for many years, even though they knew, if not subconsciously, that they had always loved each other.
In sixth grade Lizzie had started crushing on Jon. big time. It wasn't until tenth grade, though, that she decided to actually do something about it. The two had been just about the most perfect couple you could get since then. Everyone knew they were meant for each other- a strong friendship behind they're romance, enough difference in personality to keep things interesting (even if it did cause many arguments between the two), and families that fully supported the relationship.
Lizzie sighed, thinking about how different her life was soon going to be. If it weren't for the fact that Kate was going to Harvard with her, it seemed as though Lizzie would have had to start her life over entirely.
Once again the urge to cry swept over her, but she fought against it. A knock on the door knocked her out of her thoughts with a bang back to earth. She jumped up and ran down the hall to the front door, where she flung it open and threw her arms around Jon.
Putting his hand on the small of her back, Jon lead Lizzie down the front walk, closing the door behind him. They found they're favorite place under the peach tree and sat down. All was quiet for a few minutes, the crisp night air nipping at their skin.
"I can't believe it." Lizzie whispered, the first tear of the night rolling down her chhek and dropping into the grass.
"Missy, don't. C'mon girl, don't cry. Please." Jon pulled her into a tight embrace, running his hand up and down her arm. "You're going to Harvard, Lizzie. You've always wanted to go there! Ever since we did that unit on Law in fourth grade!"
No response.
"Elizabeth."
"Jon, don't do that. There's no need to call me Elizabeth. I'm fine."
The look on her face suggested otherwise. Trying to pull herself together, Lizzie stood up. "One last climb?" She challenged him with a teary smile, nodding to the rather tall tree they were sitting under.
Jon's eyes glittered with the excitement of completion. "You're on."
Climbing trees was a hobby most children dropped by the time they hit middle school. Not Jon and Lizzie. They found themselves to continue their races to the top all the way through high school, continuously keeping track of who won. So far Lizzie was winning by 17- something Jon planned on changing tonight. The fact that this was their last race cleared the teenager's minds, as they counted down.
"3."
"2."
"1!"
The next few minutes were a blur of leaves, wood, and laughter, as the old peach tree in the Jacklyn's front yarn was scrambled up for the last time. in many years.
"I WIN!" Lizzie screamed after a minute, ringing the bell that the two had tied to the top or the tree years ago. "Now the score is. 394 to 412!" she stated, smiling proudly down at her best friend.
After Jon pulled himself up the last pair of branches, he settled himself next to Lizzie, his arm snaking around her waist. The girl sighed and rested her head on the boys shoulder, both of them staring up at the stars.
"Won't it be cool, Lizzie, when you become a famous lawyer and I can tell all of my friends that I knew you when?"
Lizzie laughed at this, and replied, "You're the one that's going to be famous, Jon. Trust me, just wait 10 years and you'll be one of the biggest heartthrobs in America. With that voice of yours. or your acting."
Smiling down at her, Jon whispered, "We'll just have to see, won't we Missy?" With that, he bent his head and gently kissed her, Lizzie smiling against his lips."
Afterwards, they sat in silence for several minutes, simply enjoying each other's company.
"I'm going to miss you so much."